‘Game of Thrones’ Star Reveals Why Season 8 Production Takes So Long

No one was surprised when Game of Thrones production grew big enough to trim episodes, but waiting until 2019 for more is still quite the ask. If nothing else, star Iain Glen at least clues us into why Season 8 will take so long, and what it means for the final episodes.

Lest we forget, Game of Thrones involves upwards of four production units shooting at exotic locales all over the world, which previously helped expedite the process. As Glen explained at Stockholm Comic-Con last month (h/t Watchers on the Wall, RadioTimes), the fact that characters have since converged means fewer opportunities to shoot simultaneously.

We’re all starting to occupy the same territory, we’re all starting to be in the same storylines and so they can’t [have two filming units] anymore … I think this last season will take much longer to shoot because they can only use one unit because we’re all in the same sort of scenes.

That would certainly track, as Season 7 essentially united Jon and Daenerys’ respective crews, with the Brotherhood thrown in for good measure. Season 8 will again see most characters united in one cause (if not location), and even winter’s arrival in the finale could place King’s Landing in the same snowy conditions that might preclude filming in Croatia.

There’s still wherever Theon, Yara, Euron and Melisandre show up, but might Game of Thrones look a bit more uniform in its final episodes? Even with production almost underway, does Glen have a point about the extended episodes taking up more production resources than usual?